When Ahmed Alhussain graduates this summer with a master's degree in health administration, he will be one of the first citizens of Saudi Arabia who can call Clayton State University his alma mater.
Alhussain, 29, traveled nearly 8,000 miles from his hometown of Hotah Bani Tamim, which is southwest of the Saudi Arabian capital city of Riyadh, to attend college in the United States. He had only been out of his country twice before he made the journey.
“I went to Malaysia for my honeymoon when I was married, and I had visited United Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates,” Alhussain said. “When I landed at Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C., I had never met and talked to ordinary Americans before. I only knew Americans who worked in my country as consultants.”
Alhussain studied physical therapy at King Saud University before coming to the United States. He had studied English extensively since middle school, but he discovered that using the language at the college level was a daunting task. Also, Saudi students write cursive from right to left on a page, using characters and symbols that bear no similarities to the English alphabet. To bolster his English language and reading skills before he enrolled in graduate school, Alhussain studied English at Clemson University and Georgia Tech.
Students and faculty at Clayton State in Morrow have welcomed Alhussain, and many were somewhat aware of Muslim practices. For example, “I do not shake a woman’s hand when we meet, as a show of respect for them as a woman,” he said, noting that Muslim men will only touch females who they are related to by blood , or if the two are married.
Alhussain’s college education in the United States has been sponsored by the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission to the United States, an initiative that annually sends more than 50,000 qualified Saudis on student visas to the best educational institutions in this country. SACM pays for living expenses, books, out-of-state tuition, insurance and a living allowance.
“When they complete their education, the goal is for Saudi students to go back to work in their own countries. The Saudis are being very strategic in providing education to students who can help diversify the training of their work force into industries that are not oil-related,” explained Brett Reichert, who heads the International Student Services Office at Clayton State.
In the 2012-2013 academic year, Clayton State had 18 Saudi students on campus.
“For married couples, SACM also provides scholarships for the husband and the wife to study in the United States,” Alhussain said. His wife, Hanan Almousa, attends graduate school at Georgia State University in Atlanta. The couple lives in Smyrna with their daughter, Latifah, 3.
“The benefit to the campuses that host these students is that it contributes to our cost of running the university and their presence also contributes to the culture and diversity of our campus,” Reichert said. “It is a huge leap of faith for an international student to invest the time and effort it takes to come here and accomplish their educational goals.”
Alhussain has already been accepted into graduate school at the University of South Carolina and he also applied to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He hopes to earn his Ph.D. in health administration, and ultimately will return to his country to work in health care.
“What I’ve learned from my professors is that education is not about going to lectures and studying and taking tests,” Alhussain said. “If you want to make a difference, you have to engage in leadership, build relationships and build on your skills and knowledge.”
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